A Series of Clockwork Gears
by Unconstructed Dream Space
Summary: They're not related to each other in anyway, but they fit together to form a story to be read. Episode-like collection; contains OC, mildly violent scenarios, and some character bonding.


A/N: Um, hello there! To begin with, I just wanted to say thanks for clicking on my story! Because I can understand why some of you guys might not like OC stories (I'm not much of a fan myself, strange enough that I'm writing an OC story, huh?). Oh, and thanks so much for giving this story a change!

Anyways, just one more thing before I end this long author's note: This will be written in an episodic-vignette kind of style. I don't really have much of what you can call a plot; actually there might not be any plot at all. It's just something for fun, you know? Plus the fact that I don't think I can write a full length story, it's not really my forte if you know what I mean. Short one-shot like writing is more of my thing, but I digress.

So, I hope very much that you all enjoy my story, thanks again!

Disclaimer: No, just no.

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><p>Gear 1: A New Beginning of Sorts<p>

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Rex is—in literally one word—excited.

No, even one word can not completely comprehend or begin to describe his _anticipation_, his _eagerness_ for tomorrow! Okay, okay, maybe not tomorrow because it could definitely take more than a couple of days so he'll use 'the near future' instead. Yeah, the near future…but he'll stick with tomorrow just because it's closer.

Rex feels the natural upward tug on the corners of his mouth as he stares at the ceiling light of his, once again, new room. Someone is going to join their group! Rex lets out a stream of air that he doesn't realize he's holding before tunelessly humming.

It's _finally_ something to look forward to ever since the misplaced teen arrived six months into the future. Catching up with everyone is fun and all even though it would only be a couple of seconds or days since he last saw them, but…it was a little…unnerving. For them, for everyone, Six, Dr. Holiday, Bobo, even White Knight, _everyone_, it was _six months_. Half a year, twenty-six weeks, a hundred eighty-two point five days; one hundred five thousand, one hundred twenty hours; six million, three hundred seven thousand, two hundred minutes; three hundred seventy-eight million, four hundred thirty-two thousand seconds…

And these numbers are processed in Rex's mind without so much as a blink of his eyes or a skip in his heart. So fast he's not too sure if he even calculated them in the first place. They pass over his eyes in blue streams of light and his brown orbs try feebly to catch up. So much time has passed…fifteen years of memories lost and now, six more months?

And the creaking of invisible gears tells him that it won't stop.

xXx

When Rex thinks about it, he's not too sure if he really feels like he's gotten used to the displaced time or the whole time traveling business (Rex waves his hands and does all sorts of hand gestures so that Dr. Holiday can understand but she only politely smiles and nods in a way that says 'I'm trying') Does this mean he's six months younger? But he traveled six months into the future so does that mean time will catch up with him? Wait, does this mean his birthday is six months closer too?

Anyways, Six, Dr. Holiday, and Bobo are still the same if not a little more on edge. Oh, and White Knight's still the same cranky, cold, and ruthless nanite-free old man he was half a year ago, just a little more…on edge as well. And he stinks because apparently White Knight hasn't taken a shower since Rex disappeared and ugh, it was hard enough to be around him with his personality but now he reeks and Rex is about to lose his sense of smell. But he digresses.

The inattentive boy rolled onto his back, his arms are spread eagle style, well, as much as his bed can allow. He's thinking about lying on the ground but there's not much room anyway so the idea was debunked. The light is almost a reminiscent to his old room's light but duller and slightly brighter at the same time.

He…needs something. Something new. Something or someone he never knew back in the past, or six months ago or whatever, that will…that will keep his mind off of things. Yeah, something to distract him. From what he can't put his finger on, but it's eating at the back of his mind, gnawing at the bottom of his heart and making its way up to his lungs and—was is it always this hard to breathe?

Everything is quiet in his room and he's suddenly aware that there's nothing to do. Automatically his interest level drops and he's bordering on boredom when he remembers the reason why he's not outside. The New Providence is handling everything EVO related, using his brother's invention to forcefully control them and—

Rex momentarily glares at the faint outline of the ceiling's light bulb when a thought popped into his head.

Someone is going to join them!

xXx

It's usually quiet in The Plant.

Dr. Holiday is busy with cataloging, fixing, and scavenging for technology. Six disappears without any warning. Heck, even Bobo goes off on his 'Bobo-time' despite the change in their situation. Noah's in school, has a job, and a girlfriend. Sometimes Rex wonders when he does have time to hang out with him. And White Knight is…well, somewhere.

But it isn't too bad. He can leave whenever he wants (but there is a mutual agreement that he _tells_ them that he's going out). He can do anything…he can…

Anyways, ever since he heard from a very reliable source (hey, Bobo can be very reliable sometimes!) that there might be, possibly, a new member joining, he _flips out_.

"Are-are you serious!" Rex practically screams. He's on his feet faster than Dr. Holiday can say Exponentially Variegated Organism. "Someone's going to join us? I can have a roommate?"

A man in a green combat suit turns his head slowly, only until he can see the younger male out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't get your hopes up kid," Six begins. "We're just saying we've found another humanoid EVO, nothing to get too worked up about."

"Yeah, but it's _totally possible_ that this guy has powers! He can help us and then join us right?"

Six notices the hopeful glint in the unusually big brown eyes of the teenager and cringes a little in the inside. How he managed to resist that look Six doesn't know, but it causes him to pick his next words carefully. "It's _possible_—" and he doesn't need to finish as Rex starts to run around, whooping.

"ALRIGHT!"

xXx

Rex immediately breaks into a run.

After Six had told him that the new guy is here, his heart jumpstarts and his legs were moving so fast he almost runs into the green clad man and Bobo as he makes his way out of the hangar. Rex ignores the sore muscles and his aching knees and this small burning sensation at the back of his neck that he got from EVO hunting and curing. He rounds a corner of the hallway and continues to past several more corridors until he skids to an immediate stop in front of a door and opens it without a second thought.

"Hey Doc! Is the new guy he—" Rex immediately stops mid-sentence.

Two pairs of brown eyes meet for an instant before one of them looks away. The owner is standing next to Dr. Holiday and compared to her professional, mature beauty, the younger girl is lacking but he sees the potential as his attention soon leaves her eyes to the roundness of her cheeks and he's unexpectedly drawn to her.

She's unmistakably Asian. Her black hair is shoulder-length and her bangs are swept to her right by a clip positioned above her ear, revealing her forehead and the biggest brown eyes he's ever seen. She definitely appears to be around his age but with the shape of her face and her height, she looks a little older.

"Oh Rex, you're back already," Dr. Holiday said, turning around so that the younger female can see the newcomer. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watches the new girl shift backwards slightly, her arms crossing over her chest. Dr. Holiday smiles down at her and nudges the younger female forward. "This is—"

"A—a girl!" Rex exclaims, pointing. He's not too sure what's gotten over him but his insides are doing jumping jacks and his stomach did a little back flip. He's still out of breath from running and all of the excitement that had built up over the past few days was staring to burst. And—and the new guy is a girl! A cute girl! She lifts an eyebrow microscopically, reminding Rex of Six.

"Yes, I _am_ a girl," the black haired female drawls. "Unless I'm buying the wrong underwear and have no need for a bra, I'm one hundred percent female. Do you, maybe, have a _problem_ with that?" Her voice is filled with a clearly identifiable sarcastic tone and the knitting of her eyebrows doesn't mask the unexplained irritation in her eyes. Rex's eye twitches at the first impression he gets of her and let's just say it isn't a very good one.

"I was just—!"

"Stating the obvious," she finishes for him with a sighing manner and Rex is about to retort when Dr. Holiday gets his attention. He notices a faint smile on her face and it makes him feel a little uneasy.

"Rex," Dr. Holiday gestures to the girl behind her. "This is Natalie. Natalie, Rex." She puts her hands on the new girl's shoulders and gently guides her forward again until she's standing right in front of him. Dr. Holiday takes a step back to watch them interact, already enjoying herself a little too much.

"She'll be working with us from now on."

Rex is still in the doorway when the new girl, Natalie, stands in front of him. He's a little apprehensive and unsure if he's going to like her or even work really well with her especially from their little conversation earlier. He exhales through his teeth, jolted out of his thoughts when Natalie lifts her hand to rub the back of her neck and there's this awkward tension that begins to spread between the two of them.

"So…" Rex begins, putting his hands in his pockets and looking around so that he could find something else to say. When he does look back, Natalie's attention was on the ground and she's chewing the corner of her lip. Rex feels a little wriggle of guilt even though he shouldn't and begins to rub his neck too.

"Um, it's nice to—"

"I'm sorry."

Rex had lifted his hand up for Natalie to shake, an amends of sort, but lowered it slightly when he heard the unexpected apology. He's eyes widen significantly, afraid that he had heard wrong.

"Wha-what?"

Natalie tilted her head to the side, making her look up at him. Her eyes contained what looked like patient annoyance as she tilted her head back down to stare at the hand outstretched for her.

"I'm sorry," she repeated quietly but he can hear the clarity in her voice.

"For...what?" he asked slowly hoping that he didn't give off the impression that he's provoking her because he really doesn't know what she's apologizing for. Clearly, Natalie understood as she unfolded her arms and looked him straight in the eye.

"For being a jerk," Natalie says with a small reluctance coloring her voice. She took his gloved hand into hers and gave him a firm handshake. All the while doing so, the corner of her mouth lifts up and she's giving him a half smile. The next six words he hears are probably the most pleasant sounding words he'll ever hear from her for a while.

"It's nice to meet you, Rex."

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><p>AN: So if you managed to get all the way to the end, thank you! Um, I wanted to share some of the reasons as to why I'm writing this, so I hope that you'll be patient with me just a little longer.

I just love watching this show! AH and the characters! They're so awesome! And, what can I say; I'm a sucker for these kinds of shows, all actiony and dark with plenty of things to think about and delve on. Admittedly, I have this ongoing goal in my head to write a story with an OC in it because I wanted an OC that isn't…well, Mary Sue-ish or has those characteristic. I don't know how to explain it very well, I guess I just wanted to prove to myself that I can write and the characters that I make up aren't Mary Sues. Plus, I wanted to write about Rex, he's a very intriguing character and with all of the things that are happening, I'm surprised he isn't traumatized or anything. I also like the kinds of fanfics that go into a character's mind so I think I might do that here as well.

So…yeah, thanks for letting me rant a little! Haha, I hope you guys can help me along the way too by being incredibly generous as to review! What do you think of Natalie so far? Is everyone in character? And I really can't say thanks enough for reading so see you next time!


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